Samsung factory catches fire, could affect Galaxy S5 production

By Williams Pelegrin Updated March 10, 2014

samsungs partner factory catches fire affect galaxy s5 production pcb

With Samsung launching the Galaxy S5 in April, the last thing the South Korean company needs is some kind of setback. Unfortunately, a fire at a printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer in Anseong, South Korea might be exactly what Samsung didn’t want to happen.

According to Asia News Agency, the fire broke out at 7am local time on Sunday. It took 264 firefighters, 81 vehicles, and 8 hours to contain the fire. Reportedly, the fire caused over $1 billion in equipment and component damage.

The factory itself is a partner of Samsung that makes PCBs for the Galaxy S5, leading to questioning about whether the handset would be delayed. According to Samsung, the factory is not the only one of its kind that was contracted by Samsung, so the fire is not expected to affect availability of the handset.

Unfortunately, we do not know whether this could cause supply problems down the road, with the incident likely to affect the Galaxy S5’s in some markets. The US launch of the Galaxy S5 is slated for April 11, with Samsung recently releasing an intro video, showing the handset off in all its 5.1-inch glory.

Topics

Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

Mobile

Why I’m not ditching my Pixel Fold for the Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 in cream, blue, and black.

Samsung has had a jam-packed Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul, South Korea. We now have three new tablets with the Galaxy Tab S9 series, two new Galaxy Watch 6 wearables, the compact but capable Galaxy Z Flip 5, and of course, the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

For a lot of people, the main star of the show is probably the Galaxy Z Fold 5. After all, it’s one of the more impressive devices that Samsung revealed at the event — and a follow-up to one of the best folding phones you can buy.

Mobile

You may be able to get a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 nearly free

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 with its main display open.

Attention students, teachers, and eligible faculty, it may be possible for you to pre-order the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for nearly free, thanks to a series of promotions and credits. That's right, at virtually no cost. Sound too good to be true? Well, it isn't, just listen up. You will need some ingenuity, thanks to Samsung's current enhanced trade-in values.

The Z Flip 4 has a trade-in value of $900 currently, which means Samsung will give you that amount in credit to put towards a new device. With the newest Z Flip 5 being priced at $1,000 that essentially eliminates most of the cost. How? Let's do the math. The actual price of the Z Flip 5 is $999.99, so with a Z Flip 4 trade-in, the price drops to $900. Then you can apply the educational discount of 10% off to lose another $10 -- dropping the final price to $90. But here's an even better point, you get a $50 reserve credit with your pre-order which can be used towards accessories. So, if you take advantage of this offer you're potentially paying next to nothing to get the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. How awesome is that? But wait! There's more. You'll also get a free storage upgrade with your pre-order, boosting the storage capacity in your new device, plus you can save on bundles -- getting discounts on the Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Watch6, or Galaxy Buds2 Pro.

Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Galaxy Watch 5: should you upgrade?

Renders of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 5 next to each other.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (left) and Galaxy Watch 5 Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Samsung is once again trying its luck with a no-holds-barred Wear OS smartwatch to challenge the Apple Watch. The latest from the South Korean giant is the Galaxy Watch 6, which may not look much of a stunner given its repetitive design, but the changes under its sleek chassis are quite meaningful.